The present invention relates to control devices, and more particularly to finger actuated control devices for controlling movement of mechanisms or systems.
The present invention is particularly suitable for control of a mechanism or system which may be controlled and operated by the selective manipulation of a control device. Such would be the case in governing the movements of control surfaces of a high performance aircraft, orientation of thrust rockets of a space station, or directional control of construction crane movements.
As various large scale human-controlled and operated systems evolve and acquire improved, added or enhanced capabilities, additional demands are often placed on the human controller. The operator must often perform additional control tasks with accuracy and speed while still performing all of his previous control tasks. Clearly it is important that any new control device not interfere with or degrade other operator control efforts.
Along with precision of control input afforded to the operator, it is often essential that he be readily informed as to the extent of control input he is providing. Also; in many control applications it is of great assistance to the human controller-operator to have the control device return to its neutral position upon removal of the operator's input.
Aircraft and aerospace are typical fields requiring extensive control by human operators with related need for operator control devices. Development of more sophisticated control systems have required development of increasingly sophisticated control systems. For example, a side-force control system to control translation movements of a high performance aircraft requires a control device for actuation by the pilot which will not interfere with operation of other aircraft controls. In addition the control must be operable by the pilot under physically stressful acceleration conditions (typically 1 g lateral acceleration in this application) so as not to be improperly moved.
The control device of the present invention satisfies these requirements while avoiding disadvantages inherent in prior art devices.